Some Q's about the city

[LoveToTvl]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Try to see the positive side and enjoy the food

I can already taste the awesome Tex-Mex!

Anyone have any specific neighborhoods we should start to research? Maybe Shavano Park? I am at a loss. Most of the nice areas seem to be concentrated to the north. Hubby says he is willing to commute but I don't want to lose him to traffic for over 2 hours a day. I am totally fine with living in the downtown area as long as it is not a high rise. Maybe a nice townhouse or gated condo community?

[TexasRedneck]

There are some really nice areas in the perimeter you described - thing is, you may want to start close by to his work and then "branch out" as you find work, and better understand the opportunities available to you in terms of living areas and commuting. If you'll approach things with an open and friendly way, you'll usually find those you encounter to be friendly and accommodating. There are some areas of the city you might find difficult to manuever in without speaking spanish, but those are not areas you'll usually travel. Even then, a smile and a polite phrase or two in spanish (easily learned) will gain you smiles and someone who speaks english!

[SoFloliving]

You should check out Southtown and/or the King William area. There are some great places to rent, whether it be a house or a condo/townhome. This way, you're within walking distance of downtown and the river, and you have immediate access to I35, 281, and IH10. I moved here from NY, and I LOVE living very near downtown, but with easy access to all the roads that lead to great weekend getaways.

[LiveUrban]

Originally Posted by LoveToTvl

I am wondering how I will feel to hear Spanish every day. I hate not understanding what people around me are saying!! Some places in Florida were like that and I would get frustrated because it almost felt like a club I wasn't invited to!

Some parts of the city, you will hear only Spanish... most parts of the city it's a mix.

Downtown is nice, but you'll notice that it isn't necessarily a 'destination' that you'll want to go to every single weekend (for locals) like Center City Philly is. Even so, it's a nice place to visit a couple times a month just to walk around, people watch, eat.

Converse is a fairly nice suburb, but the schools aren't very good (Judson High School, Wagner High School). Shopping consists of Wal Mart, HEB, and a Target several miles down the road.

An actual shopping mall in the area is about a 15 minute drive outside of loop 1604 at Rolling Oaks (Traffic)

Anyways, welcome to San Antonio and get ready to gain weight! This is food central

[LindaGrace]

I hear Spanish every day - I married a native Tejano. He and his family have that wonderful slide back and forth from Spanish to TexMex to English. It's lovely to hear and it is so evocative, to me, of San Antonio. I barely understand Spanish - most of what I get is from context. I don't speak Spanish at all.

Keep an open mind, even about people speaking Spanish. I guarantee you they aren't talking about you - what's one more gringo?

[scuba steve]

Originally Posted by LoveToTvl

1. DH would be working on SE Military Drive near the Walmart Super Center. Any advice on where to live? I am looking for a very safe, friendly area, with a commute less than 30 minutes (preferably off the highways). We would be looking to rent a 2bdrm house or apt. Unlike Philly where the bad areas are highly segregated, it seems that the bad areas of SA are not as clear cut. Safety is number one priority. Is $1,000/mo a reasonable expectation for rent?

IMO bad areas are easy enough to spot. You can get an idea from the presence / absence of tagging and painting over things that get hit over and over. No idea about rent - we bought in the northside for what it's worth.

3. We will know absolutely no one in the area. Are people generally friendly? We will need friends!!

My wife and I are similar in age (late / early 20s). If you're religious it's not hard to meet people so there's one way. We met a lot of people through the young / married group at CBC. Neighbors were cool when we moved in - people came over when they saw the moving truck. There's also meetup.com which I hear good things about.

4. I do not know Spanish (but will want to learn!). Will this potentially hurt my job hunt?

It makes absolutely no difference. Although my wife did interview at one place that was clearly disappointed with her race; that's a different issue and not a very big one either.